Queens Woman Charged With DWI In Highway Death

A 34-year-old South Ozone Park woman has been charged with driving under the influence of alcohol following an incident during which her boyfriend jumped out of her vehicle during an argument and was struck and killed by an oncoming car on the Grand Central Parkway on March 10, the Queens district attorney said.

Savittrie Beria-Lackhan, who lives on 118th Street, was arraigned on Saturday before Queens Criminal Court Judge Jerry Iannece on DWI charges. The defendant, who faces up to four years in jail if convicted, was ordered held on $20,000 bail and to return to court on March 23.

Beria-Lackhan was driving a 2015 Mercedes Benz around 3:45 a.m. on the Grand Central Parkway with her boyfriend, Arif Hoosein, 30, as her passenger. The couple was involved in a verbal dispute when Hoosein opened the passenger door, jumped out and was struck by an oncoming vehicle.

The defendant stopped the vehicle and was standing near an Emergency Medical Technician when she was allegedly observed to have bloodshot watery eyes, slurred speech and a strong odor of alcohol on her breath.

When questioned, Beria-Lackhan allegedly said that she was driving the vehicle on her way home from Bob’s Bar and that she had one drink of Hennessey and a ginger ale at 8:30 p.m. She was later given an intoxilyzer exam at the 112th Precinct, and the exam allegedly indicated that the defendant had a .209 of one percentum or more of alcohol in her blood—which is above New York City’s legal limit of .08, the DA said.